


Collage

by SecretMaker



Series: Tumblr Drabbles 2015 [7]
Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 06:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3164681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretMaker/pseuds/SecretMaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ai’s bedroom at home was mostly plain, a single bed, desk, and dresser with all white walls save for one. Ai turned around from closing the door to find Rin staring at the massive collage that spanned the entire wall opposite his bed. </p>
<p>	“I didn’t know you like photography,” Rin said, marveling at the display.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Collage

1-10-15  
“Ready to go?” asked Rin, poking his head into Ai and Momo’s room and cringing reflexively at the pigsty he found inside. Ai looked up from his place in the middle of an avalanche of clothing and smiled. “Two seconds?” Rin chuckled.

“Two seconds,” Ai agreed. Rin sighed lightly and joined Ai on the floor.

“Ai, I thought you were packed last night,” Rin groused.

“He was,” piped Momo from the top bunk. Rin shot him a glare and then started picking shirts out of the pile and folding them.

“So what happened?” he asked.

Ai took the proffered shirt and set it neatly in his suitcase. “Do you really want to know?” he asked, taking the next shirt. Rin thought about it for a moment, and then decided he really didn’t.

“Our train leaves in an hour,” he said, “so you’re damn lucky I came in when I did.” Ai let out a giggle.

“I know babe,” he said, leaning over to peck Rin on the cheek. “What would I do without you?” Rin’s face heated up in time with Momo’s despairing groan.

 

* * *

 

 

The train ride to the Nitori house from Samezuka was just over two hours long, leaving Ai plenty of time to worry. What if Rin didn’t like his parents? What if his parents didn’t like Rin? Ai knew he had a tendency to hero-worship his senpai, but surely he wasn’t the only one who saw him as wonderful. Sure, Rin had a temper, and he was nothing short of terrifying at first glance, but his parents would be able to see past that, right?

Rin, noticing the growing furrow between his boyfriend’s brows, reached over and slid his hand over Ai’s, running his thumb over the knuckles. “Relax,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I know that,” Ai answered, “I really do. I just-“

“You just get nervous,” Rin finished for him. “I know, babe. But trust me, if your parents are anything like you, I’m sure this weekend will be wonderful.” Ai looked up at Rin with tears in his blue eyes.

“How can you be sure?” he whispered. Rin raised their intertwined hands and pressed a kiss onto the back of Ai’s.

“Because everything is wonderful when I’m with you,” he answered in his most mater-of-fact voice.

“R-Rin!” cried Ai, snatching his hand back to hide his face. “You can’t just say things like that!” Rin chuckled and wrapped his arms around the boy, drawing him close.

“Relax, love. There’s no one else in this car, and even if there were,” Rin paused to bury his nose in Ai’s bright silver locks, “I wouldn’t care. I’m not embarrassed to show the world how much I love you.” Ai didn’t answer, but his shoulders relaxed noticeably. He let his hands fall, but hid his face against Rin’s shoulder instead. They spent the rest of the trip like that, enjoying each other’s warmth in silence.

 

* * *

 

 

The Nitoris lived in a small, plain house in a moderately-sized town. Rin had noticed Ai perking up more and more as the sights around him got more familiar, and he smiled warmly when the silver-haired boy couldn’t see. Ai was like a butterfly, flitting from one childhood memory to the next, running back to snatch at Rin’s hand to point something out to him, then sprinting off to greet some neighbor or pet some dog. Rin felt the smile on his face growing the farther they walked. By the time they reached the house, Ai was practically bouncing where he stood. He threw open the front door with a loud “I’m home!” and tugged Rin inside.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Rin said just as a tiny, dark-haired woman came rushing around the corner and wrapped both him and Ai up in a hug that was much stronger than should be expected from someone of her size.

“Aiichirou!” she cried, squeezing them tighter. “Oh, baby, welcome home!”

“I’m home, Mom,” Ai laughed, extricating himself from the hug.

“And you must be Rin!” cried Ai’s mom. “Aiichirou has told us so much about you. I’m Nitori Izumi. It’s so wonderful to meet you!”

“It’s truly wonderful to meet you too, Nitori-san,” Rin said with a bow.

“Oh, now, none of that,” Izumi tutted. “You call me Izumi. My husband, Daichi is out at the market, getting the last few things for dinner. Why don’t you boys make yourself comfortable upstairs?”

“Okay, Mom,” Ai said, gathering up his bags and boyfriend and rushing up the stairs before Rin could so much as give a second bow.

Ai’s bedroom at home was mostly plain, a single bed, desk, and dresser with all white walls save for one. Ai turned around from closing the door to find Rin staring at the massive collage that spanned the entire wall opposite his bed.

“I didn’t know you like photography,” Rin said, marveling at the display. There were pictures of everything he could think of, from mountains to ice cream to people. Ai’s entire life seemed to be up on this wall, starting with shaky, blurry, unoriginal shots on the far left, and progressing the farther it went toward the window. As Rin worked his way right, he started to notice more and more shots featuring himself. “When did you even take all of these?” he turned to find Ai blushing and looking at the floor.

“It’s embarrassing, I know,” he muttered.

“No!” cried Rin, coming to cradle Ai’s face in his hands. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s just what I like to do,” Ai said. “I didn’t take all of these, of course.” He moved to a clump of the Samezuka team over the past year and a half. “Some of these I got off of the team’s blog, some of them are from Facebook, and some of them are selfies. My favorite ones are these, though,” he said, pointing out several that were taken around campus, that all seemed to be candid shots. “I always like it better if the subject doesn’t know they’re being photographed. It captures the moment better.” Ai was looking at one of Rin, standing in the otherwise empty natatorium with his back to the camera, looking over the pool.

Rin, however, was looking at Ai. “Yeah,” he muttered, “I guess I can see how that would be.” He pulled out his phone as stealthily as he could.

“Boys!” called Izumi from down the stairs. “Dinner’s ready!”

When the weekend was over, Rin and Ai left the bedroom almost exactly as it had been, with one small exception. On the far right, next to a group of shots of a grinning Rin, there was one new addition, of a slight boy with silver hair, staring at a wall of photos.

**Author's Note:**

> Have I mentioned lately that I love Rintori?  
> Part of my Daily Drabbles over at [Tumblr](http://notsuchasecret.tumblr.com)


End file.
